Bill Gates reveals his golden list of holiday readings: 5 books will change your view of the world!

 Every book opens a window onto something important

                  

Bill Gates reveals his golden list of holiday reading: 5 books that will change your perspective on the world!

With the New Year approaching and the weather getting colder, American billionaire Bill Gates believes this is the perfect time to sit down with a good book. In a blog post, Gates revealed his annual list of the best books to read during the holidays, emphasizing that each one reveals how something important works in our lives.

The list includes five diverse books spanning fiction, science, and politics, addressing topics such as finding meaning in life after retirement, understanding the climate crisis, the secrets of human communication, the transformations of the creative industries, and even the reasons behind America's declining ability to build mega-projects.

Gates wrote on his blog: "Each of these books lifts the veil on a fundamental aspect of our lives: how to find purpose later in life, how to think about climate change, how the creative industries evolve, how people communicate, and why America has lost its ability to achieve great things."

Here are the five books Gates chose:

1. "Remarkably Bright Creatures" by Shelby Van Pelt

Set in an aquarium, the novel is partly told from the perspective of an octopus! Gates says he loves novels with compelling characters that make him see the world differently.

The story follows the friendship between a 70-year-old widow who works as a night watchman at the aquarium and the octopus Marcellus. The novel raises profound questions about loneliness and the search for meaning in life after retirement, an issue Gates says made him reflect on the challenges of life after work and the role of society in supporting older adults.

2. "Clearing the Air" by Hannah Ritchie

This science book answers 50 questions about the climate crisis, from the viability of renewable energy to the possibility of averting climate catastrophes. Gates describes it as "the clearest explanation I've read about the climate challenge," praising the author's realistic, data-driven approach, which avoids the pessimistic outlook that can hinder progress.

3. "Who Knew" by Barry Diller

The memoir of the American media mogul who revolutionized the television and internet industries. Gates, a longtime friend of Diller, says the book surprised him with new details about the man who invented the concept of television movies and was one of the first to bet on the internet.

4. "When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows" by Steven Pinker

The latest book by the renowned Harvard psychologist, in which he explains how "shared knowledge" influences human communication and cooperation. Gates considers it "a practical and easy-to-read book despite the complexity of its subject matter," emphasizing that it changed his perspective on everyday interactions.

5. "Abundance" by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson

A political and economic book that discusses why America has become incapable of undertaking large-scale projects, from infrastructure to scientific innovation, and proposes an "abundance agenda" to overcome regulatory obstacles. 

Gates believes the book doesn't offer all the answers, but it does ask the right questions, noting that bureaucracy often hinders progress, even in the global health projects he works on. Gates said, "If you're looking for books that pique your curiosity and reveal how the world works, this list is a great place to start."